Sonic Mania Trailer Takes Knuckles Back To Flying Battery Zone

Whether gamers asked for it or not, soon there will be a 2D side-scrolling throwback to the original era of Sonic and his pals. The upcoming Sonic Mania game is one of two Sonic titles in development and this one plans to capitalize on nostalgia for the 90s era of gaming. To appeal to that throwback audience, the latest Sonic Mania trailer focuses on Knuckles making a run through the Flying Battery Zone.

The floating zone will look pretty familiar to anyone who played through Sonic 3 or Sonic and Knuckles, but it appears like there are a few new additions this time around. The video details describes the minor changes to the classic zone as being full of “new paths and traps to trounce any critter foolish enough to launch an assault.”

Check out the preview and see if you can spot the changes to the Flying Battery Zone. Here’s a look at the latest gameplay trailer released by the developer…

From the unforgettable style to the classic soundtrack, it’s pretty impossible to watch this gameplay trailer and not be reminded of the glory days of gaming on a Sega Genesis. Although there’s no denying the strong nostalgia factor for adult gamers, it will be very interesting to see how big the audience is for consumers who are actually willing to drop the money to pick up another retro throwback. Consumers seem to be losing interest in the trend, but games like the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy are also making a similar gamble by spending resources bringing the PS1 trilogy to the PS4. Gamers certainly seem more interested in fresh sequels or new IPs at this point, but for the right price these games should still be able to find their place in the market.

What do you think of the latest look at the the Sonic throwback? Are you excited to revisit this series? Let us know in the comments.

Sonic Mania is in development for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The release date is currently unconfirmed.